The Des Moines Register from Des Moines, Iowa • Page 2

2A THE PES MOINXS REGISTER Thursday, 27, 1989 4 I IJ MORE IOWA NEWS: 9A, 12T of' RANDY EVANS. Ioa tftar.51S-2S4-0 DATELINE IOWA Heart patients worry about reports of deaths due to drugs By VICTORIA BENNING ill Commission to reconsider appointment of magistrate Blood Institute that said more than twice as many patients getting the two drugs suffered bean attacks or death as those taking dummy pills. Dr. Ben Johnson, a cardiologist and electropfcysiologist with Cardiology Associates, said panic was not appropriate. "Every patient is different" Johnson said.

"There are multiple reasons for putting people on tie medicatioos. We're not making blanket changes and we're not telling people to stop taking the drugs. If not that simple Other doctors said the study's figures were too startling to ignore. 'When we get data Lie this, we have to pay attention to it" said Dr. Chad Williams, a cardiologist with the Mid-Iowa Heart Institute.

Williams said several hundred heart-institute patients probably take the drugs. He started receiving calls at home at 7 am Wednesday. Worried patients besieged Des Moines cardiologists Wednesday following reports that two drags used to treat irregular heartbeats increased the risk of heart attack and death in patients in a clinical trial Doctors were split in their reaction to the study, but physicians and pharmacists eastioned patients not to stop taking the medications wi thorn consulting their doctors. The Food and Drag Administration Tuesday advised doctors to stop prescribing the dregs, Tambocor and Enkaid, for mild or moderate heart rhythm Irregularities, or arrhythmias. "We had IS messages waiting for when we got in." said Sagas Johnson, a nurse for Cardiology Associates in Des Moines.

"We've bad three nines doing nothing bat retornicg phone calls." By midafternoos Wednesday, the office had received more than 109 calls from coocgaed patients. The FDA acted ce a stady by the National Heart, Long and "Personally, ii there's an alternative drug, I'm switching them to it whkh is a majority of cases," Williams said. "There were three people oo the drug going home today, and we told them we'd rather switch them to something else." Williams and Johnson agreed they would hate to see the drugs pulled off the market Both are relatively easy to take and save fewer unpleasant side effects than other drugs used to treat the problem, they said. The drugs are nice," Johnson said. "Some others require more frequent usage and have unpleasant side effects." Both doctors said they may change their stands once details of the study are released.

Tambocor, whose generic name is flecainide, is manufactured by 3M-Riker Laboratories In St. Paul, Minn. Enkaid, genetically called encainide, is manufactured by Bristol-Myers UJ5. Pharmaceutical and Nutritional Group of Evansville, Ind. Thunderstorms hit state; Boone man dies wind gusts and two bursts of golf-bail-sized hail to Spirit Lake.

Hail was reported in several places across the state. Before heading Into Illinois, the storm dumped torrential rains and did considerable wind damage in a narrow band stretching from the northwest corner to the southeast corner of the state. The National Weather Service in Des Moines could not confirm any tornadoes touching down by 7 p.m., but Mike Staub, manager of Castle Lanes, wasn't convinced. "We have twisted beams. I believe it was a tornado," he said.

"Heavy winds might have torn the roof off, but they wouldn't have twisted beams." A spokesman from the National Weather Service said rainfall amoccts varied across the state, rsrgg from "next to nothing" to as mtict as 2 inches in areas within the stars narrow band. Steve Roe. director of public rela-taaas far tie Prairie Meadows horse rkzzig trtri is Altoona, said flooding delared tbe p.m. post time by 30 1 1 tj'ff. 1 7r Vi'- i i I 3 X.

V- I it-, i hi fry- i I The mighty have fallen A trio of stamps yet be remeved are all that remaiaed Wednesday of a row of majestic trees north of the basinets district la Algosa. Workers toppled 84 oak and maple trees to make room for an Iowa Departmest of Trial porUtioD road-wideaiiig project aloag U.S. Highway 1(3. DUBUQUE, IA. The Dubeqee County Magistrate Appointing Com-mission is to meet at 9 ajn.

Friday to reconsider its appointment of i convicted drunken driver aod shoplifter as a magistrate. Earlier this week, the commission appointed Dubuque lawyer Frank GUlooo, 44, without knowing be bad been convicted twice of dmnkea-driving charges and once of fifth-de-gree theft for shoplifting. Commission member Bin Bahl a retired county superrisor, filed a petition to reconsider GLUooo'i appoint-ment with the Dubuque County attorney's office. Ban! bad voted for Giiloon the first time around. Failed candidate fined; reported contributions late Fun Tint ftotsam wuw in SIOUX CITY, LA David of Sioux Dty will pay a 1759 fine for failing to make proper disclosure of contributions to bis campaign for Congress in 1988, the Federal Ejection Commission announced iay.

Late in the primary election cam-: paign, O'Brien received 11,000 from a United Auto Workers political action committee and 12,500 each from political committees of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the Interea-; tional Brotherhood of Teamsters. O'Brien, a Democrat did not report the contributions within 41 boars as required. He reported the cootrib-uocs in his next quarterly report O'Brien lost the general eiectioo to Republican incumbent Fred Grandy. Mother, girl hiding again in battle over visitation BOONE, IA. Teresa Hammer and her 7-year-old daughter have gone into hiding again Hammer was jailed in Story Cotrn-ty for a few days last year when she left Arkansas after violating a court ruling that she grant ber ex-husband unsupervised visitation of their daughter.

Hammer says the girl was sexually molested by ber ex-husband. The father, David Leininger of Bentoo- ville. has denied the charge. Margaret Hammer of Boone, Teresa Hammer's mother, said she doesn't know where her daughter and granddaughter are. They had been living with Margaret Hammer.

Teresa was afraid that Leininger's latest legal efforts would mean that Jessica would have to be returned to him, Margaret Hammer said. Rural Webster City man dies in head-on collision TM Rrttoar't Mm WEBSTER CITY, IA. A rural Webster City man died Tuesday in a head-on collision when the pickup truck be was driving crossed the center line of Iowa Highway 17 and struck another pickup. Clarence E. Nelson, 86, was northbound on Highway 17 where it meets U.S.

Highway 20 when be struck a truck driven by Harry Knisley, 77, of Perry, said a spokesman with the Webster City Police Department Both men were taken to Iowa Methodist Hospital in Des Moines, where Nelson died and Knisley was in good condition. Murder trial of Shenandoah man set to begin June 6 tin mt Hm Mtmo CLARLVDA, 1A. A Shenandoah man will stand trial June 6 on first-degree murder charges In the stabbing death of his friend's mother. James Walter Bettis, 19, is charged with stabbing Cynthia Borton, 39, oo Sept 6 in ber Shenandoah home. Bettis was a friend of Borton's only son, John, 18, then a senior at Shenandoah High School.

5 Oelwein residents fact charges in 20 burglaries OELWEIN, IA. Five Oelwein residents were arrested Wednesday in what authorities said was a theft ring responsible for at least 20 burglaries in five counties last year. Authorities said several thousand dollars worth of property was taken in burglaries in Fayette, Buchanan, Black Hawk, Clayton and Delaware counties. Facing a variety of theft and burglary charges were Viola Ann Beao- lieau, 20; Merle Donald Rabe, S3; Darlene Elizabeth escort, 19; and James Andrew Llghtfoot, 19. A 17-year-old male also was arrested and turned over to juvenile authorities, a spokesman from the Oel wein Police Department said.

Iowa colleges see $26 million decline in gifts Continued from Pope One cucifilxiUota less advantageocs. Tbe ensuing stock market collapse ta October 1987 further depressed the level of contributions, the report said. In all, support from alumni, parents, foundations, corporations, reli-gtoes orders and others to 28 Iowa colleges and universities totaled 198 million in 1987-13, based on reports received by the council That compares to 1124 million given to 26 institutions the year before. "Pretty Darned Geod" Paul R. Miller, council vice prescient, said Iowans should not be alarmed by the decrease.

"It's important that the people of Iowa gave something on the order of $104 million and that's pretty darned good." said Miller. "This not a great alarm." Iowa has seen steady growth in gifts to public and private colleges and sniversities over the past decade. said Miller. Con tri notions to the nation col leges and universities also suffered in 1M7-M, dipping for the first time in 13 years, says the survey. It estimated that contributions to higher education totaled 381 billion in the 1937-C3 school year, down from 33 billion the previous year.

It was only the third year-to-year drop since the council began the survey in 1954-55, said Miller. Optimism Most Iowa college and university officials contacted, however, said they expect giving to increase this yer or next Darrell Wyrick, president of the of I Foundation, points to unusually large gifts in 1986-87, the stock market crash and tax law changes to explain the drop in donations. In a normal year, gifts to the of I range between $20 million acd 135 million annually, said Wyrick, calling 1 987-48 "a good year." "We always need to do better and can do better, but there was no shock involved in afl of this," he said. "Two or three very large gifts or bequests can make all the difference in the world" Grinnell College President George Drake agreed on the reasons for the drop. Typically, Grinnell receives about $5 million annually in gifts, be said.

If the decline were to continue, "it would affect the financing of the current operations," said Drake. "It puts more pressure on endowment income and tuition and fees to finance the operation of the college. It can affect capital projects, too." The outlook, however, is promising i for this school year, said Drake, "We're ahead of last year." ISU Associate rjirector of Develop- merit Thomas Hartig said gift-giving for 1986-37 was slightly higher than normal because of changes in tax laws and because of improvements in the Iowa economy. Schools receiving most contributions (In mQttono of doDaro) 1987-88 University of lows Iowa Stata Unlvsrslty Drake Unlvsrslty Co College Wartburg Col legs Grlnnall Collogo Luther College Simpson College $30.9 16.1 7.S 5.2 3.9 3.8 2.6 2.4 1986-87 University of Iowa $41 .5 Iowa State University 19.4 Grinnell College 13.7 Maharish! Infl University 6.3 Drake University 5.7 Coe College 4.3 University of Dubuque 3.8 Luther College 3.1 yHytm tfwv y4ty Cound lei to ESuorton Student admits printing counterfeit $20 bills By LISA KINGSLEY TttasdeTTtorm winds blew down a freshly raised concrete wall Wednesday at Graager, crushing and killing a constructioo worker. It was the otly known death or nr related to a senes of storms that I marched across Iowa Wednesday af ternoon aid evening.

Leroy Jofen Lsisdber g. 21. of Boone was working oo the S7-f oot-locg, 17-foot-high wall of a new service garage at Granger Motors on Iowa Highway 141 when tie entire wall fell and pinned him beneath it said Dr. Thomas Bennett, state medical examiner. The mortar between the blocks had not dried, be said.

The foreman told the eight men on tie srie to down aad get out of there." becassse they knew the wind was comiS. Bennett said. 1 west back toward the waU to reirieve 3 his tiirt when tie storm hit sic-rtlv before 4 pss. was pnonoci aeS oa tie Bexnett bet was trinsporiei to Mercy Haspiul Mei-caJ Ceater in Des Manes far an an-tcprr. EijiewieTe it Icwa, Castle Lines bcwlig ilier is Mirxa.

ot DVJtr tisi e-ife of Cedar Rapaos, had aboct a oarer of its roof peeled off ry kgh wirids. So ce was isjsrei The Kotras hat nonh westers Iswa siiorJy before noon, farxgg 75 mpfc Family grieves after early birth of quintuplets By CYNTHIA HUBERT ftMtmr SMI tMmr Brenda and James Voigtmann of Marengo are mourning five children this week, tiny quintuplets who were born too soon. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Esther Voigtmann, who may have been Iowa's first quints. were delivered at University Hospitals in Iowa City last week. But at just five months' gestation and weighing only I to 12 ounces, the infants did not survive.

The Voigt-manns buried the babies Tuesday in a service at Marengo Cemetery. "We desperately wish they could nave been with us longer." James Voigtmann said Wednesday. "We sometimes ask why this happened to us, but we are a Christian family and we feel confident the children are in heaven." Voigtmann said the couple, who have a daughter, Leigh-anne, have been longing for more children for five years. "It awful rugged, I guess, to think yon had six children born and only one remains with you," be said. The Voigtmanns learned Brenda was carrying four fetuses in December and began making plans for a houseful of children.

"We have a large home, so we really were prepared for extra people," said James Voigtmann, a farmer and architect Two weeks ago, the couple found out they were expecting five babies, not four. Doctors told the family the babies might be Iowa's first quints. Doctors expressed some caution, but they said the five babies would have a good chance of survival if they could remain inside their mother's womb for SO weeks. Brenda Voigtmann had been re stricted to bed since March 10, and she checked into University Hospitals oo April 14. "At that point, we were having no problems at all, and we were hoping we might have a chance of saving all of the babies," ber husband said.

But on April 18, complications de veloped in one of the babies, Matthew, and be died within hours. Then infection set in, and the four other babies were born on April 21. They lived for only a few minutes, their father said. Mwwir pes iof.s; 0 Mta XXI By BRUCE APSES An Osage High School student is under investigation by federal officials after be admitted printing coun terfeit 320 bills while in a school-sponsored work- Ovjfi OSU0isj study program at an Osage print shop. Darin Mitchell, 18.

a senior, works part-time in the printing department of the Mitchell County Press-News, an Osage newspaper, as part of a vocational-training program at his school. Mitchell said be printed the bogus bills as a prank and did not mean any harm. "It was just done as a joke for some friends," Mitchell said Wednesday. "I only wanted to prove to them that it could be done Most of the nearly 100 bills were blank on one side. But Police Chief Richard Mobley said the craftsmanship made the bills look authentic.

and several of them "would pass in a stack yea might take to any bank." Some of the bills were found at Osage Junior High SchooL and others turned up as far away as Texas. Mitchell said be tried to get rid of the bills by pitching them in a rural ditch. But some junior high students apparently discovered them and began passing them out at school. Officials would not say if any of the bills actually were spent Federal officials declined to say whether criminal charges will be filed against MitchelL Employees at the News-Press were unaware of Mitchell's moonlighting, and be said be still had his job at the newspaper. Winning lottery numbers The winning numbers for Wednesday's 3S million Iowa lottery jackpot were 9, 10, 19, 29, 32 and 35.

49 JWJiJO VTLUCItflUIC ICdLIlCU a high of ti degrees Wednesday, 21 degrees higher than the normal tempera rere for the date, but perfect for thenderstorms. Iowa Power can lift rates by S24 million Continued from Page One increase to offset last year's reduction and also to start setting aside money to pay for future generating capacity and for the cost of upkeep of its transmission system. Utilities beard Chairman Dennis Nagel said the board reversed itself because market conditions have changed in the last year and because the company did a better job of proving its case. "We had more complete, better evidence this time. For example, before, we had no evidence about the cost of debt," Nagel said after the meeting.

"Also, there is a trend upward in interest rates." However, Stewart said the company argued for an artificially high increase in the rate of return on equity, hoping the utilities board would arrive at a number somewhat below the overshot but still above what is a reasonable profit rate. "That is exactly what they did, and the board bought it," Stewart said. Nagel denied that, and said, "I hope the parties never, ever think, 'We'll just hit the board up for a SO-SO split' Remember, every 1 percent difference in the rate of return in this case is worth about 12.5 million, so we don't just casually say, 'Let's just average this out' Iowa Power spokeswoman Kathy Turner said the company thinks it had a strong case for its requested 14.25 percent rate of return on equity, but said of the 13 2 percent the board approved: "I think for the most part, it is a reasonable rate for them to arrive at, based on the evidence they looked at" Stewart said: "I bet they're probably elated with 13.2 percent They're elated, as I am totally disappointed. I guess I'm not shocked that the board did it, but I'm shocked at the number. To justify 13.2 percent, they would have had to make some adjustments and use methods very much different than they have used In the past" 'It's a Wonderful Life1 Tt 1 1nn Nm ferric AMES, IA.

"Innkeeplng: It a Wonderful Life," Is the theme of this year's conference of the Iowa Bed and Breakfast Innkeepers Association, to be May 10 at the Iowa State Center, Iowa State University. Woman charged in hit-and-run By NICK LAMB ER TO A grandmother with a spotless driving record was charged Wednesday in the hit-and-run death of a Farnhamville woman last week. Delia Mary Knowles, 76, of Moorland is accused of failing to leave informa tion at the scene of a fatal accident, said weoster umnty Sheriff Charles Griggs. The charge is an aggravated misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of two years in jaiL The body of Arlene Gladys Woolen, 62, was found at about 6 p.m. April 20 along a blacktop road east of Farnhamville.

Wooten had been taking her daily two-mile walk when she FroltAmvitto DCS MOiNES 0 was struck by a vehicle. The weeklong investigation was capped by the discovery of a pickup truck belonging to a Knowles family member in a garage at Moorland. Eugene Meyer, assistant director of the Division of Criminal Investigation, said investigators were told that the pickup, which matched descriptions given by Farnhamville residents, bad not been seen in the area recently. Knowles is scheduled to appear before Magistrate Kurt Wilke at Fort Dodge Friday. Moorland Town Clerk Rosemary Thompson said; 'It's all very sad All the years I've known her she never did a bad thing in ber life.

I think she just panicked. She would never hurt anyone on purpose. She never harmed anybody in her whole life.".